FBI Director Kash Patel sued the Atlantic on Monday, according to Reuters, over its report last week that alleged his extensive drinking had impacted his performance, including episodes where his security detail had struggled to wake him up.
The $250 million defamation lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. An Atlantic spokesperson said in a statement: “We stand by our reporting on Kash Patel, and we will vigorously defend The Atlantic and our journalists against this meritless lawsuit.”
The FBI did not respond to an immediate request for comment.
The lawsuit came after the Atlantic published a story on Friday by reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick titled “Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job,” which relied on more than two dozen anonymous sources to claim Patel is a frequent drinker whose inebriation has sparked concern across the federal government.
Fitzpatrick reported that Patel’s early days at the bureau included multiple instances of rescheduling meetings due to drinking the night before, and there had been multiple instances where his security detail had issues waking him up after he was seemingly intoxicated. Since then, members of the Trump administration have discussed who could replace Patel, according to the story.
Patel told the publication to “print it, all false” and that he’d “see you in court—bring your checkbook.” His lawyer Jesse Binnall also posted on X the letter he sent the Atlantic on Friday ahead of the story’s publication, promising to sue it if it published an article containing “categorically false and defamatory assertions.”
He reiterated to Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday that he’d sue the publication, arguing he wouldn’t let “baseless information” stand.
“They can beat their drums, and stand next to toxic waste all they want, but that doesn’t make it toxic waste,” Patel said. “And Maria, I’m happy to announce on your show that we’re not going to take this laying down. You want to attack my character? Come at me! Bring it on! I’ll see you in court!”
The article’s online headline was later changed to “The FBI Director Is MIA.” Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg told CNBC on Sunday that “we stand by our reporting on Kash Patel.”
Fitzpatrick stood by her reporting during a Friday appearance on MS NOW’s “The Briefing with Jen Psaki.
“I am a very careful, very diligent, award-winning investigative reporter with a history of award-winning work across multiple organizations,” Fitzpatrick told Psaki. “I stand by every word of this reporting. We have excellent attorneys.”
